As of Saturday, Cardinal Raymond L. Burke, 66—who previously served as head of the Vatican’s highest court (making him the highest-ranking American in the Vatican)—has been downgraded to a ceremonial position of chaplain for the Knights of Malta, a charity group. Thankfully, he now holds little responsibility and has a much smaller figurative megaphone.
With Burke’s uber-conservative views on abortion, same-sex marriage, and feminism ... Read More

A successful campaign has been launched to halt Julien Blanc's international visas and effectively prohibit him from giving seminars that promote violence against women. On Thursday, he was successfully kicked out of Australia following the internet campaign #takedownjulienblanc. Today, attention has shifted toward Canada and the UK.
Just two months ago, the self-proclaimed pick-up artist Blanc posted an offensive video about what white men have the ... Read More

The latest project from art activist group FORCE is crossing the country this month with the goal of upsetting rape culture. At each stop on the Monument Quilt's 13-city tour, FORCE invites survivors to share their stories on quilt squares. The Monument Quilt's final stop is in Washington, D.C., where quilt squares will be stitched together to form the message "Not Alone".
Today the Monument Quilt visits NYC! Visit the Queens Museum from 3pm to ... Read More

Imagine earning the opportunity to go out into the field and explore the world, as a budding young scientist, only to be greeted by predatory superiors.
In a PLOS ONE survey of mostly archaeologists and anthropologists, 64% of field scientists reported having experienced sexual harassment and 22% reported sexual assault in the field. The academic article also noted that “73% percent of female [medical trainees] had experienced workplace sexual ... Read More

“Before it happened, I thought about going to the Peace Corps. I wanted to be somewhere, get somewhere bigger. I wanted to grow.” “Every part of me was altered.” Rochester, NY - 2013
Trigger warning: This post contains references to and descriptions of sexual assault.
A few months ago, we featured some images and stories of survivors of rape and sexual assault through the lens of the incredible photographer Lydia Billings’ series ... Read More

In the wake of Barack Obama’s “State of the Union” address, it’s important to consider the State of the Uterus. With impeding abortion regulations, limitations on birth control access, and proposed rape audits, our uteri stand at the forefront of one of our country’s most contentious battles.
Thank goodness that the esteemed Madame Uterus graced us with her own speech streamed last night at LadyPartsJustice.com ... Read More

“Imagine if someone erased your personality at age twenty. You have to figure out what kind of person you are without the first twenty years.” Ithaca, NY - 2012
Trigger Warning: This post contains descriptions of rape and sexual assault that may be triggering to survivors.
After her close friend was raped in college, the photographer Lydia Billings was devastated by the geographical distance between them, and she confronted her own feelings with ... Read More

After a recent rape trial divided the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA, the English and psychology student Hannah Boes took action to combat the pervasive rape culture that often persists on college campuses. She founded William & Mary Stands With Survivors, an online catalog of photographs “dedicated to showcasing allies who support sexual assault survivors and refuse to perpetuate rape culture, or the attitudes that normalize ... Read More

Sweetie, a super young-looking computer-animated girl, has disturbingly attracted 20,000 sexual predators, all hailing from different countries and walks of life. Sweetie was created by human rights group Terre des Hommes Netherlands to bring to light the victimization of children in developing countries. After chatting with the 10-year-old Filipino girl in chat rooms, many older men solicited her for "sex performances" online.
Members of Terre ... Read More

Although we at BUST are always sad to hear about a fellow print publication struggling, I can't say I'd miss Penthouse. Due to the availability of pornography on the internet, the porn magazine is having trouble making ends meet. Los Angeles Times reports, “the California company that owns Penthouse magazine, [online dating sites like FriendFinder] and a host of [...] adult websites filed for bankruptcy protection ... Read More